In Sane World
by house-of-sleep
Summary: It was always baffling how a conversation with two friends can strengthen the bond to a point of brotherhood. To Snake, the Super Smash Brothers was the closest thing he had to a family.
1. My True Brother

Author's Notes: This is my first story for the Super Smash Brothers section of this website. I hope it will suffice. The title was inspired by one of Omnium Gatherum's song with the same name.

I do not own Smash Brothers in any way shape or form.

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In Sane World

It was a moonless night with the occasional star illuminating the dark streets. A perfect night for a drink or two. The mercenary of the shadows, Solid Snake, fumbled for his keys to his room. However, his room housed another Smasher besides him. For some strange reason, Master Hand had roommates for everyone who resided in Smashing Castle. Perhaps it left more room for other renovations. However, these thoughts were currently unoccupied by the spy's mind.

"Damn keys… where did I put them?" The gruff man had just returned from a bar in the nearby town called Smashville. He, along with Captain Falcon and surprisingly Ganondorf decided to have a man's night out with good quality beer, typical bar food, and football. It was amazing how the Evil King could do a jig so well while balancing a bowl full of nachos on his head. And who knew that Captain Falcon could play such simple yet heart-warming tunes on a harmonica? It was an interesting night that none of the three newfound friends would forget anytime soon. As Snake idly thought back on that evening, he finally found what he sought for. Of course! How could he forget? He always left keys or key cards in the seventh vest pocket on his left. He began to question if he truly was drunk or not. Or maybe he should start wearing normal clothes to prevent this mishap in the future.

Hoping not to disturb his roommate, he quietly opened the door and stealthily entered his sanctuary. He looked to his left and noticed a somewhat small figure wrapped in a blanket and breathing contently. If one were to listen very carefully, a soft snore could be heard from the sleeping figure. Instinctively, Snake smiled. His canine roommate and friend always did look comfortable when he slept. Slowly closing the door behind him, he trotted towards his bed and pulled out a cardboard box. He never did like to sleep in a prone position. It felt too…open. Any enemy who barged in had limitless options of killing a person lying down on his back. If his room was his sanctuary, than inside a cardboard box was heaven to Snake. He shifted to a crouching position and placed the box over his head. All the miseries of the day were instantly washed away as he soon closed his eyes. However, before he could get some shut-eye, he heard some shifting noises coming from the other side of the large room. So much for rest and peace.

"Sorry if I woke you up, Lucario." The jackal rose from his bed and managed to stifle a yawn. He looked towards the digital clock which read "1:00 AM."

"What were you doing out so late?" The grogginess was still apparent in his voice. It wasn't often that Snake would be out until the dead of night.

"Just needed to spend some quality time with a couple of friends." Snake replied. Lucario was always curious about humans and their technology. It was amazing how a young girl can entrap a giant Ursaring within a ball that could easily be mistaken for a baby's toy. But, what got Lucario even more curious about humans are their habits. To him, none of these habits could be beneficial to them in any way. Yet the claim they cannot live without it. Just once, he would like to understand why Snake loves that simple box so much.

"Not gonna take your shower?" He asked while rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes.

"That's for my morning hangover." This statement pushed Lucario over the edge. Now he really wanted to know more about humans. Such an interesting species! What was a hangover anyway? He got up from his comfortable bed and walked towards the box that contained a spy. The jackal lifted up the box in the same manner as on the Halberd when they first met. Snake, of course, never did take this gesture too kindly.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you not to touch the box?!" It was Lucario's way of teasing the tired mercenary.

The jackal placed the box next to the mercenary and asked in a straightforward manner, "Tell me more about your kind." At first, the espionage expert was dumbfounded at this odd request. But, it quickly dawned upon him. Snake couldn't help but grin at Lucario's curiosity. It reminded him of his sled dogs back in his cottage in Alaska. They would always sniff around the environment, despite knowing the territory in-and-out. Although it is in the middle of the night, Snake figured that his canine roommate wouldn't go back to sleep until he got a sufficient answer.

With a tired sigh, he asked, "Well, what do you want to know?"


	2. My True Brother Pt 2

Author's Note: I'm glad this is getting good reception. I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well!

As usual, I don't own Smash Brothers. I only own a copy of the game.

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In Sane World Ch. 2

Now that Snake took the time to think about this request, it was somewhat odd. Why is it now that Lucario began to question what humans are in general? Needless to say, it would be an interesting sleepless night for the both of them.

"So, what do you want to know about my species, exactly?" Snake inquired.

Lucario decided to sit next to the mercenary while resisting the canine urge to lay on his friend's lap. "First off, I would like to ask about habits. Why is it that you hide in your cardboard box? I know that you use it for stealth purposes but it seems there is more to it than that." Can it be? Someone else who finally respects his box besides himself! Sure, the Pokemon was somewhat disrespectful to it at first but, now he is willing to learn about it! Of course, to normal people, an obsession with boxes is somewhat scary. Then again, wouldn't you admire the being that has saved your life countless times and will continue to do so until you die yourself? People can be so shallow-minded these days.

With a smile of pure mirth, Snake chuckled. He hadn't laughed like that in such a long time. Lucario twitched his pointy ears in confusion. Was his question that odd? He didn't seem to be laughing **at **him.

"What's so funny?" The bipedal jackal asked.

"Ah, it is nothing, my friend," Snake said while wiping a tear away from his eye. "Anyway, let me tell you story that might sum up an answer for your question. It all started about two weeks ago, while it was still fall…"

_Flashback…_

It was a crisp autumn noon. The younger smashers had no matches scheduled for that day so they decided to be what they truly are: children. They decided to play hide-and-seek within Smash Castle. A timeless activity that has rules simple enough for everyone to learn. It was a perfect children's game. During this time, Snake was walking around in his typical sneaking suit and bandana. He accidentally stumbled upon one of the kids (Toon Link) and decided to tag along with the game. Being a master of shadows, there was no way a bunch of little ones could find him! However, they proved to be more formidable than he once anticipated. Every round, Snake would somehow be caught by one of the children. It was aggravating yet exhilarating at the same time. He hadn't felt a rush like this in quite a while now. The anxiety that your enemy might know your position always kept the heart beating faster. After being found for the tenth time that early afternoon, Snake decided it was time to bring out his trump card of stealth: his trusty cardboard box. With this, he could easily camouflage with other everyday items. The kids will never know what hit them! At this point, Captain Falcon and Princess Peach got into the game. To them, a bunch of kids against a master of espionage wasn't exactly fair. The odds were starting to stack against Snake. With the number of hiders dwindling and the number of seekers increasing, it will only be a matter of time before they find him in the dining room. However, Snake still had a chance. He emerged from his hiding spot and began initiating his quickly formulated plan.

It has been 15 minutes and still no results. All the kids (and several adult smashers) could not find Snake at all. There were cardboard boxes placed all over the castle but none which held the mercenary. A couple held a tape recorder which had a recording of Snake snoring to fool others into thinking he was in that box. They even went as far as checking the air vents (courtesy of Olimar's pikmin). Where could he have gone? Concern began to etch itself upon the faces of the seekers. Ness decided that asking for Lucario's help would be the best course of action. Everyone followed behind the psychic boy wonder as he walked towards Lucario and Snake's room. He knocked softly on the mahogany door and it opened almost immediately.

"Can I help you?" asked the jackal in a neutral tone.

"Hello. Have you seen Snake anywhere?"

"Hmmm…" Lucario gave the request some thought before answering with a yes. Everyone began to lighten up.

"You really know where he is?" With a knowing smile, Lucario opened the door wider and beckoned everyone to come in ( the group at this point consisted of Ice Climbers, Ness, Lucas, Toon Link, Kirby, Captain Falcon, Peach, Olimar, and Ganondorf). At the center of the somewhat large room was a lone cardboard box. However, this one was different from the other boxes. This one held a forboding, almost ominous aura about it. With a gesture, Lucario told everyone to quiet down. As silence gripped the room, a low sound could be heard. It sounded very odd, almost like grumbling. Everyone traced the sound to the forbidden box at the center. Everyone wanted to lift it to see if Snake truly was in there or it was just a tape recorder of him snoring. However, everyone knows that disturbing Snake's box while he was in it was asking for punishment and a good yelling at. Who was willing to open Pandora's Box? Seeing that no one moved an inch towards the box, Lucario decided to end this childish game. He walked towards it seemingly without a care in the world and lifted the box gently. Everyone gasped at what was revealed. It was Snake, only he was asleep. But, he soon awoke with the intrusion of light.

"Zzzzzzz… Wha? What's going on?" Snake demanded.

"They found you." Lucario said with a somewhat pleasing tone. Snake stood up and looked towards the crowd in his room with a neutral expression. He saw that Ness was in front of everyone, as if he were leading them into victory. He walked in Ness's direction in an almost menacing fashion. He knelt down to his height, took off his baseball cap and ruffled his hair.

"Good job, kid. You knew where to look after all." Snake smiled at the boy who returned the expression. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some sleep to catch up with."

_End Flashback_

"I'm sure you remembered that day. It was quite fun to play with kids." Looking back on that day, the two unlikely friends lit up considerably.

"So the box is not just a hiding device to you. It holds good memories and protects you from danger in the most unorthodox way."

"Its something not many will understand."

"I don't think I will understand it any time soon, either."

"At least you're honest. I appreciate that very much. Not many people I meet are truly honest." Snake began to think back to his world. It was true. Everyone he had met so far had some sort of secret to hide from him. Hell, Snake hides his true identity to everyone he meets! It was an inescapable truth that Snake had accepted for quite some time. The jackal let out a yawn, breaking Snake's train of thought. He looked towards their digital clock which read "5:00 A.M."

"I think I'll go back to bed. Maybe we can continue this some other time?" Snake smiled at his canine friend. It seems to him that comfort and compassion followed Lucario wherever he went, despite appearances.

"Of course, brother." To Lucario's surprise, Snake pulled him into a hug. However, he returned the gesture.

"To me, you will always be my brother." Snake said. They stayed in that position for some time before returning to their respective sleeping positions.

Truly, it was the dawn of an evolving, beautiful friendship.


End file.
